Page 81 of Only for Love

“Hm? Nothing.” She smooths her pants while gracefully heading for the front door.

Crap.

Ryan clears his throat. “We were going to go see him, too. But maybe we won’t.”

“What!”

He shrugs.

Cherry stops tugging at her clothes. “Pays to have a cop brother.”

“I don’t even know where he’s staying.”

“Grand Hotel on Main.” Ryan’s jaw ticks, as if he’s holding back an explosion of alpha-male big-brother impulses. “But maybe we’ll hold tight for now.”

“Yeah, maybe you should,” I grumble. “At least you came here first.”

Cherry rolls her eyes. “It was a toss-up for who was first: you or him. You won. You always win. Because we love you.”

I drop my head back on the couch. “I want this to work, and for that to happen, you two have to back off.”

Ryan does his best cop walk, each footstep sounding heavy. After a few paces, he gives me a tight nod of agreement. “You do what you feel is best, Emma. He fucks up though? No amount of your pleas will hold me back.”

“Ryan…”

He shakes his head. His eyes are harsh, and his normal smile is a thin line that speaks volumes to the fight brewing inside him. “Baby sister, it’s like you forgot what he did to you.”

I swallow past the lump in my throat. “He gave me the best thing I have in the entire world.”

A long moment of silence hangs heavy.

“Cally’s the best.” Ryan rubs his hand in his hair. “But sometimes, you need a second opinion. And don’t just rely on Cherry. Ido notlike her crazy thoughts and rationales, about which we are going to talk later.”

My eyes shoot to my sister. For one terrifying second, I think she’s completely lost her mind and told Ryan that she introduced me to Bruno. That Ryan knows I’m stripping. But she shakes her head almost imperceptibly.

His phone rings, and he turns to answer it, giving Cherry and me a moment to glare at each other over whatever Ryan was talking about.

He struts back around, nodding, phone still to his ear. “Got it.” A moment later, he hangs up. His forehead furrows, and the corners of his eyes show the start of stress lines. “Cherry, let’s go.”

I watch their interactions. “What, are you guys partners now? Jeesh. Stay and unpack a box.”

Cherry uses her hands to make fake guns and shoots them in the air as if she’s Wile E. Coyote. After her Lone-Ranger moves, she blows the imaginary smoke from each and slips them into imaginary holsters.

Ryan harshly chuckles. “Just remember, mine are real, Emma. As is the badge. Anything hurts you, I hurt back.”

I smile as they leave then lock the door behind them, sliding down to the floor. Could have gone worse. I hit my head on my knees. But it could’ve gone a lot better.

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